Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

The 70-300mm DO (Diffractive Optics) lens is compact (about the same size as the Canon EFS 17-85), quiet, and fast focusing. The lens holds its focal length if pointed up or down without having to use a zoom lock. The filter ring does not rotate during zoom, and you can manually focus whether in AF or MF mode. I've seen no chromatic aberrations with this lens. Shots are clear and crisp throughout the entire range. It's great to take pictures from a distance without using a long, bulky lens. The ET-65B Lens Hood is included.

Canon raises the stakes for professional photography with its EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM telephoto lens with image stabilization. Thanks to a new triple-layered diffractive optical element (DO), this 70-300mm lens is less than 4 inches (10 cm) long. It can focus down to 4.6 feet (without rotating the front element) and a new zoom lock button keeps the lens safe and secure when not in use or used at the wide angle. A virtually silent ultra-sonic motor (USM) gives the lens extremely fast autofocus

The lens also includes Canon's Image Stabilization technology to dramatically reduce camera shake, compensating for approximately three stops in shutter speed without any perceptible increase in image blur. It's a great choice for professional photojournalists and serious advanced amateurs who need to contain the size and weight of equipment carried. DO Elements
Use of the new three-layer DO lens drastically reduces the overall length and weight of the lens system increasing the refractive power of each lens element and reducing the spaces between elements. It's approximately 26 percent shorter and 36 percent lighter than any lens of comparable specifications.

Zoom lock
The EF 70-300mm lens features a zoom ring locking mechanism, locking the lens at its shortest total length. This helps to protect the lens from potential damage by preventing the zoom elements extending under their own weight, which might otherwise occur when the lens is mounted to a camera that hangs from a neck or shoulder strap.

Image Stabilization
The lens incorporates Canon's Image Stabilization (IS) technology, compensating for approximately three stops without any perceptible increase in image blur when shooting static subjects or panning. This increases the range of circumstances in which hand-held photography is possible, limiting the need to carry a tripod.

Fast AF
A rear focusing ring type USM, high-speed CPU and new AF algorithms combine to give the lens extremely fast auto-focusing. The ring-type ultrasonic motor (USM) converts ultrasonic vibrational energy into rotational force to deliver high-speed, high-precision, super efficient and virtually noiseless auto focusing, with good holding torque for rapid response and accurate stopping. Full-time manual override is featured, removing the possibility of damage to the autofocus mechanism during manual focus. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1.4m throughout the entire zoom range.

Ready for Digital Photography
The lens shape and coatings have been optimized to suppress ghosting and flaring, making this lens ideal for use with digital cameras that are more susceptible to reflections off the recording media than are film cameras.

Working with EOS
The drive pattern of the lens is tailored to specifically match that of the latest EOS range, extracting maximum benefit from the lens' speed advantage. The lens comes with a case LP1116 and an exclusive hood ET-65B for shading against unwanted direct light.

• E58 Front Cap
• Rear Cap E
• 1-Year Warranty

Best Canon all-purpose zoom, August 12, 2009

By AJ MURRAY (New York, NY USA)

I bought this lens a few years ago before I got serious about photography. Since then everything else in my kit has slowly been upgraded, but I just never seem to find a good enough reason to replace the 70-300mm.

The major downsides of this lens are its slightly kludgy focus with a rotating front ring, and its slightly slow aperture compared to whats available.

But then the upsides:
1) 3-stop image stabilizer. I can't give this enough praise. I've taken crisp photos at 300mm with 1/15s shutter speed, sharp enough to make it onto Flickr's blog.

2) Lightweight - as a travel zoom you can't beat the versatility versus weight.

3) Sharpness, colors and contrast are top notch. People who've seen photos from this lens have assumed I had a big white expensive lens, and are shocked when they find out.

Sure it feels very flimsy and isn't weather sealed, but the reality is, mine has been to dusty game drives in Africa and air shows on a windy beach, and is still like new. For similar money one can get a 70-200mm F4L, but for me the lack of IS on a 200mm lens is a deal breaker.

I've often considered upgrading to the 70-200mm f2.8L IS or 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L, or primes such as the 300mm f4, but every time have to ask myself: as a serious hobbyist (rather than a professional), can I really justify the huge expense when this is almost always good enough?

By Brent Watson "Photography for Fun" (Colorado Springs, Co.)

I did quite a bit of research on zoom lenses in this range and decided that this would be the one I would purchase. I am glad I did. The quality is superb and having the Image Stabilization really makes it a pleasure to take pictures in less than perfect lightening conditions. I would recommend this lens to any and everyone.